Dear Dr. and Mrs. Wheeler,

Since the age of 12, it has been my ambition to earn an Amateur Radio Operator's license. The electronics theory always came to me easily
enough, but code was a completely different story. I had made several attempts to learn the code by memorizing the dots and dashes and later tried with the dits and dahs. That was exactly the extent of my success, I could memorize the code but could not do anything with it in practical sense. My sending was questionable at best and my receiving abilities remained virtually non-existent. I could never seem to get over this hurdle.

As the years went by, my dream of earning a license went on the back burner (but never forgotten). I followed in my Dad's footsteps and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Electronics Engineering. Armed with this great background in Electronics, I made yet another attempt at mastering the code, but alas, still no ticket. Last May (1997), at age 39, I decided to go for the No Code Technician's license, with a promise to myself that I would make at least one more honest to goodness stab at learning code within  one year. That year came and went very quickly.

In April, I started to mentally prepare myself for finally licking this code thing. In the past, I always viewed the code as being something I "needed to learn," but would "never use." I started looking at things differently. . . I actually felt that if I do learn code, why wouldn't I want to use it. It would  be great fun to use a mode that not only connects us to the very earliest days of radio, but in spite of all of our technological advances remains to  this day one of the most effective means of communicating with distant stations. No sir, if I finally learned it I would certainly use it!

Some time around April 6, I noticed your ad and decided to give you a call. I had a very nice chat with Mrs. Wheeler and she kindly explained the way your method works. It sounded perfect and I realized that this was what was missing from my learning process. My package arrived on April 10  and I went right to work. To realize my one-year, post No Code Tech goal, I needed to move fast. The test was scheduled for May 12.

That gave me one month (minus a few days off for Easter). The fact that I had a two week overseas business trip nestled in there could not be used as an excuse: a goal is a goal. I simply took my tapes with me on the plane and also studied nights in my hotel room. By the time I returned home, I knew the whole code, numbers, punctuation and all. I now had about one week to hone my skills before the test. Now, mind you, I am not trying to kid anyone, this did not happen by itself. It required discipline and  some hard work (but mostly discipline).

Two days ago, I knew I was ready for the 5 wpm examination (after all these years, my expectations were humble). That morning, I told my wife, Ella, that I will also take a crack at the 13 wpm test, so I would be coming home a little later than originally anticipated. In sending me off to work that morning, Ella told me she knew I would do just great at 13 words during the test that evening. You know what? She was absolutely right! I passed the test at 13 wpm! I could not believe it, not only did I actually learn the code, but I went from "zero to thirteen" in only one month! I didn't phone, I just hopped in the car and drove. When I finally floated through the door, Ella already had a little celebration dinner waiting, because "she knew" (how does she do that?)

Dr. Wheeler, I am sorry for this long winded account, but I just wanted to thank you for helping me realize what has in a very real sense been a life-long dream for me. Ella and I wish you and Mrs. Wheeler strong health and God's blessings in all of your good endeavors.